Also, I am curious as to his portrayal of the Black Prince (Edward, Prince of Wales) as a whiny, petulant, spoiled brat is something new. Towards the end of the book the action really picks up with some terrific battle scenes, culminating with the Battle of Crécy. I can feel myself starting to care for these characters and the plot has me intrigued enough to wish the 2nd instalment was out now!

I found the story dragged for quite awhile before plot elements were developed sufficiently enough to initiate some drama. But I have read and enjoyed books by Dan Jones in the past and so when the title came up I added it to my TBR list. In amongst this are the Essex Dogs and though they fight on the English their first allegiance is to each other. I am giving the book 3 stars as it is a good book with promise but there is a difference between writing good history and good fiction and especially if the fiction is historical fiction.

No, being a soldier during a fourteenth-century war definitely was no bed of roses, except for the thorns. Dan Jones' debut novel is an impressive work of historical fiction set in the Hundred Years' War and, more particularly, during the Crecy Campaign. Those who know him know he has never told a lie in his life—“Never be the one to tell lies, Nico,” his grandfather teaches him. The narrative is well written and you can almost hear the clash of swords, the screams of horses and the groans of dying men as the two armies clash.

You can really sense the brotherliness between the Essex Dogs and that bond is the driving force through this brutally savage journey. I know Dan as a historian through his non-fiction books and documentaries, but this is his first foray into historical fiction. The humor is a blessed relief to the descriptions of the brutal everyday grind of their slog through the countryside as they endure shredded feet because of split boots and terrible digestive problems.Dan Jones debut into the fictional world brings to life a period in real life history through the lives of well developed fictional characters.